The former Victorville Army Airfield/Victorville Air Force Base/George Air Force Base (George AFB) is a Superfund site and one of the most contaminated military bases in the country. From 1941 to 1992 (51 years), over 100,000 people were potentially exposed to unsafe levels of hazardous, toxic, and radioactive materials on and around George AFB. About 20,000 people lived in the surrounding community, while approximately 80,000 individuals worked, lived, or attended school on George AFB. Most military personnel and their families were forced to live on base because of low pay, high rent, and limited off-base housing. The contamination led to numerous health issues for personnel stationed at the base and residents living nearby.
The Air Force and the Department of Defense (DoD) were aware of the contamination, in some cases for decades. However, they failed to address the issue or inform those stationed at the base or living nearby about the potential health risks. When the Air Force/DoD suspected they had a problem, they had a moral and legal obligation to test the water supply and habitable structures. If the water supply or any building tested positive for unsafe levels of toxins, the Air Force/DoD was required by law to replace the water supply, condemn the building, relocate the occupants, and notify current and former residents about their possible exposures. They did not.
The contaminants at the base caused significant harm to base personnel and those living nearby, including some families who have lost up to seven children due to repeated and prolonged exposure to numerous toxins. The effects of this exposure have been linked to birth defects, miscarriages, stillbirths, infant deaths, preterm births, low birth weights, and childhood cancers. This is because the developing fetus is especially vulnerable during the first 12 weeks (first trimester); during this time, all major organs and body systems are forming and can be damaged if exposed to toxic substances or radiation.
Because the Air Force/DoD will not acknowledge the nature and extent of the contamination and the completed exposure pathways (CEP), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has denied thousands of veterans and their families medical care and compensation for their service-connected (SC) injuries. Additionally, the DoD has fraudulently altered, falsified, and withheld medical records (evidence) needed for VA disability claims. The DoD refused to notify veterans and their family members that they were exposed to hazardous materials at Fort McClellan.
Regrettably, the redevelopment of the former George AFB puts a new generation at risk because the contamination has not been adequately disclosed or remediated.